Got the hilltopper
 

I have arthritis, in nearly every joint. But up until last week I had rode my bike under my own power, but the group I ride with would have to stop and wait lately. So I bit the bullet and got an electric wheel. The hilltopper,to just be used on the hills and on windy days. So far it works perfectly. Only 3 rides so far. I did try an Electra pedal assist this spring but I felt like I didn't get a good enough work out. And I really missed my cushy Day 6 bike seat. Also remembered why I sent semi recumbent,my sciatica was acting up on other bike. This one is perfect for being just enough so I don't hurt my knees pushing them too far. I feel like a kid again. I even put it on myself but did take it down for my friend to check, He said it was OK just needed to be better balanced, and breaks adjusted. I am in love with biking again. .

Great to hear a success story.

Glad to hear it. Whatever keeps us riding is all good. Now you'll be riding longer probably, too. Enjoy!

Very nice, I am thinking of getting one of these setups or similar for my wife so she can ride with me.

I also just received and installed my Hilltopper Sprinter wheel (on my commuter bike) this past weekend, and I also have 3 rides on mine so far. I like that it has a throttle to allow me to just give that extra 250 watts of power needed to get up the steepest hills on my southern-Denver route without me over-working my perpetually sore knees any more than I have too. And then I can completely let off the throttle to put my legs back to work on the flats, downhills, and lesser hills. Today was my first 14 mile commute to work, with 800' of ascent, I still showed up a sweaty mess, but my knees weren't blown out from the hills, what a great feeling. Now I'm just hoping there's enough left in the battery to get me home. On a test ride this weekend I was able to maintain 21.5 mph on the flats going directly into a 15 mph stiff headwind, and that's with me putting in a lot effort. I also find the throttle handy when starting off from a dead stop at a crosswalk, I think that's where I was putting in too much power to get moving quickly, and sometimes in too high of a gear, now the Hilltopper handles that for me. I was reluctant, but I'm so glad I made the purchase.

Why not simply bring charger and bottle battery inside to recharge while you work? Course you may find you have plenty of charge to get home too. Makes a huge difference doesn't it?

I was just hoping to avoid the need to recharge at work, and to get a round trip commute out of one charge, but I can recharge if it comes to that.

Huge difference! I'm hoping it'll allow me to commute all 5 days this week, for a total of 175 miles.

I like Hill Topper replaced the simple on/off switch with a throttle on their entry model. You make a good point about using a throttle, on my Class 2 350w BBS01 I use throttle to get going from a stop, particularly when facing uphill or when towing a trailer, then use pedal assist to keep riding. I rarely just throttle along, only for slow speed manouvering or when filtering past stopped traffic when I need to avoid striking a curbstone with my pedal. My motor uses a cadence sensor so it's a bit basic more like a motor on/off switch, so I use the PAS levels and bicycle gears to control my cadence. I'd like to try a Class 2 throttle plus a torque sensor PAS like on the TSDZ2, Revel, or Grin Tech hub motors, I like Class 1 torque sensor motors and enjoyed test riding a Gazelle EasyFlow with Shimano Steps, but I rely enough on the throttle to get going I know I would miss it.

That is what I do. In my case, it was about $14 for the spare charger. allows me to use a smaller/lighter/cheaper battery, and these batteries last a lot longer if we don't use too much of their capacity between charges.

Yeah, the test I did on my first commute showed that the battery was clearly loosing its oomph at the end of my 35 mile RT hilly commute, where it was only getting 16 mph on the flats (instead of 20 when fully charged), and that was with me being stingy with the throttle, so I'm going to pick up a spare charger and leave one at work. Right now I'm bringing the charger back and forth, which isn't so bad, but not exactly convenient when commuting every day.

I have had 3 rides now on mine with the group, I LOVE IT! The throttle means I can keep it just fast enough that I still have to work a bit but not over stress the knees. They have stopped aching after a ride and I keep up easily now. Even up what I have dubbed "hell hill" on the path, and the wind wasn't a bother at all. I am so happy.

Well I knew it would happen and I wondered if it would make a difference, I ran out of battery on a ride. It was my fault I had charged it but I guess when I put it back on the bike I must have pushed the on button. Then 2 days later when I went to ride it it was on... I didn't have time to put it back on the charger. So went for it.
Got about halfway thru the ride-it was super windy-And it did help me get up the worst part. but died just before another hill, but the added weight didn't make it any harder than it was before getting the wheel. I sure missed the power but I made it. And I finished the ride. But woo boy was I sore. I will not make that mistake again.

They have very bad customer service. I had a screen stop working and they have stopped replying to my calls and emails. Probably prolonging the reply to be out of warranty. Do not recommend.

Still using my hilltopper
 

l using it. I did buy a back up battery so I can twice as far now. Its not a strong pull forward but enough help to get me started so I am not wobbly starting from a stop and hills are easier. But I still get a work out.
I used my bike nearly every day from March of 2021-Oct 2021 as my car died. I had to buy a new one and prices were horrible. I refused to buy a car with 200,000 miles on it for 5000. And I did not want payments. By the end of summer I was questioning if I really needed a car. I still am, but it sure was nice to have this winter when it was raining....
I actually have been in touch with the company, e-mailed them to see if the slightly bigger battery would fit and it didn't but ordered the one like what I have. Now I see they have updated them again, smaller looking motor and more zoom per battery.
I think if I get a second bike I wonder what the larger one would be like.... It is more powerful and the range is 25-50 miles.... But it is hard to justify a second bike in my living room. LOL